The new Kaan prototype has been spotted during assembly a year after the maiden flight of the first example, and is set to fly in 2026.
The second prototype of Turkey’s Kaan fifth generation fighter is now in production, with the panels, vertical stabilizers and the nose cone missing on the bare skeletal airframe on the assembly line. Identified as P1, the new aircraft was spotted in an official photograph released by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation on Sep. 26, 2025, during the large delegation’s visit to the facilities of TUSAŞ/TAI (Turkish Aerospace Industries).
The delegation is standing in the foreground in front of the first flying prototype, the P0, while P1 is in the background. Parts of P1’s side fuselage and the section around the engine intake and the wing assembly are obscured by P1’s port-side vertical stabilizer. Reports said the aircraft is expected to be completed in 2026 in preparation for a maiden flight the same year.
38. Kuruluş Yıl Dönümümüzde TUSAŞ Kahramankazan Merkez Yerleşkesi’ni ziyaret ettik. 🇹🇷✈️
TUSAŞ Genel Müdürü Sayın Dr. Mehmet Demiroğlu’nun ev sahipliğinde, Vakfımızın tüm personeliyle yerli ve milli savunma sanayiimizin önemli tesislerinden olan TUSAŞ’ı ziyaret ettik.
KAAN,… pic.twitter.com/p8k8xoCFtg
— TSKGüçlendirme Vakfı (@tsk_gv) September 26, 2025
Several Turkish defense profiles shared comparative collages of images of P0 while in the manufacturing stage and the current P1 to spot any design alterations. Any significant differences are not discernible, given the semi-obscured position of P1 behind P0. The P1 airframe is also covered by scaffoldings, so it becomes difficult to determine what lessons TAI engineers may have learnt from P0’s development and tests.
KAAN’ın 2. Prototipi, Türk Silahlı Kuvvetlerini Güçlendirme Vakfı TUSAŞ ziyaretinde ilk kez görüntülendi. pic.twitter.com/vydH2tzF8t
— Turkish Defence Agency (@tdefenceagency) September 26, 2025
Design differences
We can nevertheless observe from one split image shared by ‘Avionot’ that the P1’s nose section appears to be wider. The engine intake also appears to be taller, overshooting the chine line on the fuselage, and a little closer to the canopy.
Let’s not forget this is a very early manufacturing stage with only the skeletal airframe and the structural assemblies being built. The aircraft is yet to receive any of the internal mechanical, electrical, electronic components and wiring.
The manufacturing of P1 may have begun only earlier this year, and may have also incorporated lessons from the trials of the Kizilelma and the Anka 3 UCAVs, that are expected to fly alongside Kaan as loyal wingmen CCAs (Collaborative Combat Aircraft).
İşte KAAN’ın ilk prototipi ve ikinci prototipi arasındaki farklar. https://t.co/O1gv6ZEXs7 pic.twitter.com/caXTuLxniN
— Avionot (@avionot) September 26, 2025
Testing schedule
TurDef claimed that a third prototype, P2, is also under construction. We are however yet to come across any image of this example.
“Compared to the first prototype, the second prototype has a more mature design as it will be used in the more advanced phases of testing alongside the third prototype, which will not be far off in terms of arrival date,” TurDef mentioned in its report. “The P1 and P2 prototypes are scheduled to start their flight tests in the 2026 spring which is about two years after the maiden flight.”
Laying out the timeline, Tolgaozbek said that P1 is scheduled to begin ground testing and make its maiden flight in April 2026, beside also mentioning P2 being slated to fly by July 2026. Interestingly, the report also quoted TAI general manager Mehmet Demiroğlu’s interaction with the publication in the recent edition of TEKNOFEST in Istanbul, where he said they are not planning a third flight for the P0. “All focus remains on P1,” Demiroğlu said.
The Kaan, which aims to replace Turkey’s 240-strong F-16 fleet by the 2030s, was first unveiled in 2019, rolled out in March 2023 and flew for the first time back in February 2024. Details about the Kaan’s specifications are limited, but it is anticipated it will be able to achieve a top speed of Mach 1.8 and a service ceiling of 55,000 feet. Other performance parameters have not been disclosed so far, however the aircraft is known to have a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 60,000 lb.
As far as I can see from the photo, it seems that the air intakes may have been moved back on the P1 prototype compared to P0. We will be able to see the actual details when P1 is released https://t.co/QBGjXZEDaA pic.twitter.com/6DCahX1bJ3
— TR_tech (@T_Nblty) September 26, 2025
The first 20 KAAN Block 10 jets are scheduled for delivery to the Turkish Air Force by 2028. The jet will initially be powered by two General Electric F-110-GE129 engines, which also power Turkish F-16Cs Block 50, delivering 58,000 pounds of thrust. TAI plans to replace these with indigenous engines, which are being developed with a supercruise capability, in the future .
Turkish push for F-35s
The emergence of the second Kaan prototype also came as U.S. President Donald Trump incentivized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to be readmitted back into the F-35A program, in return for ending the purchase of Russian oil, during the latter’s visit on Sep. 25.
NEW: Turkish Defense Minister Güler:
We currently have six F-35 jets in the United States.
Now that they see we have developed the KAAN, their stance has shifted, and they’re expressing willingness to deliver them.
We have resubmitted our proposal to acquire the F-35s. pic.twitter.com/nPySKEI9TA
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 26, 2024
Trump said he “believes Turkey will agree to his request to stop purchasing Russian oil and that he may lift U.S. sanctions on Ankara so it can buy advanced American F-35 jets,” reported Reuters. Trump had removed Turkey from the F-35 program in his first term in 2020 in retaliation to Ankara’s acquisition of the Russian S-400 air defense system, which many believe can make the F-35 vulnerable.
Turkey has been lobbying to be given its F-35As, six of which are currently stored in the U.S. Defense minister Yaşar Güler told the Planning and Budget Committee of the Turkish Grand National Assembly in November 2024 about the renewed efforts with the U.S. towards that end.
A section among Turkey’s defense and strategic community believes that progress with the Kaan might change Washington’s calculations, since an indigenous fifth-generation jet threatens to reduce the dependence on U.S. weapons.
